The Relative Influence of Several Factors on Simulation Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relative impact of several independent variables on performance in a business simulation. This is unusual in that most studies attempt to prove or disprove the influence of one or a very few antecedent factors on performance In this study, there were 44 specific independent variables falling into six categories: ability, motivation, interes4 confidence, cohesion, and organizational formality. The study was undertaken in a university setting. The results showed (a) that 44% of the variance associated with performance was explained by this study's independent variables and (b) that two motivational and two interest variables influenced performance significantly, whereas ability, confidence, cohesion, and organizational formality variables did not. More specifically, backwards multiple regression results indicated that an increased desire to play the game as it progressed, choosing "easy to work with " teammates, future plans for employment rather than graduate school, and being an accounting major predicted performance positively and significantly. The implications for this study are (a) that those interested and skilled in the decision-making situation will perform better in it, (b) that thinking about teammate compatibility prior to the simulation enhances performance, and (c) that performance varies with desire to participate.